


Beaten down to the bottom

by Stiinescense



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie Andrews Being an Idiot, Bullying, Gen, Graphic Description, Hurt Jughead Jones, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 16:42:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16268237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stiinescense/pseuds/Stiinescense
Summary: He had been walking for half an hour when some cars that had been passing by slowed down next to him. He prayed in his mind that it was a coincidence, that they didn’t pull over for him. But it seemed like he was out of luck.Jughead stopped dead in his tracks as he saw half of the football team emerging from the multiple cars. He tried to look for Archie, but it apparently he hadn’t joined the party. What a shame.





	Beaten down to the bottom

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is kind of a spin-off from my bigger work called "The weight he carries". I mention this incident in that one and wanted to go a little deeper into the events. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> TW for violence and bullying.

It had been 5 days since summer vacation had started. Nothing had really changed for Jughead, except now he must come up with even more creative ways of avoiding home. Yeah, things had gotten rough with FP, ever since he lost his job. Well, his legal job. This meant he spent a lot more time at home, getting drunk and complaining. Sometimes getting angry. There was also a lot more serpents coming to visit, a lot more shady stuff going on. Jughead didn’t want any part in it. He already had a record; the judge would be all too happy to ship him away again.

They had been getting along so well before all this. Jughead had started to believe that maybe his mother and Jellybean could finally come back. Maybe his father could keep this job so that Jughead didn’t constantly have to plan how to feed himself. But now it had yet again been proven; FP couldn’t hold a job to save his life. Jughead was not bitter, he was angrier at himself than anything. For believing all the lies again and again. For being so naïve, letting FP fool him. 

Since he and Archie had started to drift apart, it became harder to find places to pass his time. Now that he couldn’t hide in the school library, he spent most his time at Pop’s. It was the only place in town that let him hang around, even if he usually didn’t have money to buy anything. And Pop knew that. Jughead thought that he probably knew it better than anyone, considering all the sympathetic freebies he has been getting. Even if taking donations rubs him the wrong way, it feels pretty good to be treated well by an adult for a change. 

Today was not different. He woke up and headed to Pop’s immediately. He carried his laptop there every day, so that he could work at some articles and potential beginnings of some novels. He was still uncertain about his writing. He didn’t know which way he was going with it. Yeah, he loved the articles and the press, all the hectic energy and being able to change people’s opinions. But he also wanted to write books. He was so fascinated by all the stories he could come up with, twisting reality and fiction. But yeah, realistically he will never, ever become a writer. He’s not set up for it. He has nothing for a college application, nothing to prove that he might have some mediocre talent that would make him a great choice to become some big university’s charity project. But it didn’t really bother him. He just loved to write. 

He spent the whole day at Pop’s, drinking too much coffee and working on some unfinished chapters. At one point some guys from the school’s football team enter the café. Jughead realises that Archie is with them. They fool around, sometimes glancing at Jughead’s direction with nasty looks. Jughead couldn’t care less. At least now, since they’re all on vacation. He’s just happy that he doesn’t need to run into them every day now. Even Archie looks back at him, even giving him an awkward smile. Yeah, they don’t hate each other. They just mutually, silently agreed, that they don’t get along anymore. Well, Jughead could get along. And he did for a long time. But Archie made it clear that he couldn’t spend any time or effort in Jughead anymore, ever since he got into football and the popular group. Jughead didn’t care that Archie played football, but he did care about him spending time with Jughead’s bullies and having to make an appointment three weeks ahead if he wanted to see Archie. 

So here he was, giving Jughead half a smile while Jughead turns his eyes back to his laptop. He can’t just be half a friend. Especially since he’s supposedly the only friend. 

The group messes around for a while, eat burgers and then start to leave. They are almost out of the door, when some jerk just has to yell; “Hey freak, go back to the south side!”. Jughead doesn’t even raise his gaze. They only thing that concerns him is whether Archie would defend him or not. And he doesn’t.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

He stayed at Pop’s a couple hours after the douches left, finishing up his work of the day. At 11pm the gathered his stuff, thanked Pop most sincerely and started walking back home. It was a pretty long walk; Pop’s was on the north side, after all. But Jughead didn’t care, he had learned to appreciate the beautiful, peaceful Riverdale at night time. 

He had been walking for half an hour when some cars that had been passing by slowed down next to him. He prayed in his mind that it was a coincidence, that they didn’t pull over for him. But it seemed that he was out of luck.

Jughead stopped dead in his tracks as he saw half of the football team emerging from the multiple cars. He tried to look for Archie, but it seemed like he hadn’t joined the party. What a shame. 

“Look what we have here! It’s Riverdale’s own Donnie Darko!”, Reggie yelled cheerfully. The rest of the team laughs with him, probably not even getting the reference. Jughead started to feel nauseous about the whole situation. They were gathering around him, trying to block his way out of the situation.  
“Fancy meeting you here, Biff Tannen”, Jughead snarks back at Reggie, trying his best to seem cool and collected, ignoring his thundering heart.  
“So, Jughead, can you tell me something? I’ve never seen you at a party, but I’ve always thought that a drinking problem is part of all the ‘trailer trash’-culture. So, are you a late bloomer of what’s the matter? Didn’t daddy ever share his booze with you?”, Reggie asks, a cruel look in his face. They whole group snickers at his words. Reggie might not have any idea that he just hit a sore spot. Jughead looks Reggie in the eye, feeling rage building inside him.  
“Well I’ve never seen you at a library, Reggie. Are you a late bloomer or didn’t your daddy ever teach you how to read?”, Jughead asks, raising his eyebrows in a mocking way. Reggie’s famously short temper comes to show again as he takes a few steps forward until he reaches Jughead.  
“What did you say? You really think you are something, don’t you, Jughead? Writing your manifestos, rolling your eyes at everyone like you were the shit”, Reggie rambles, approaching Jughead with tentative steps as Jughead takes steps back, away from Reggie.  
“But in reality, you are nothing. You’re a whiny piece of shit, coming from a trash family that lives in a tin can in the south side. And everybody knows that. You try to act all brooding, but in reality, you’re just a friendless loser and it’s not by choice. Poor Archie tried his best to stay friends with you, but even his sympathy isn’t enough to stand your bitchin’ all the time”. Jughead kept staring Reggie in the eyes. He’s seen Reggie angry before, but right now he’s fucking mad. There’s a wild look on Reggie’s face as he goes on about Jughead’s life.  
“I wonder what made you that way. My best guess is all the beatings you must take from your dad; they probably messed with your brain irreversibly”, Reggie says with a wide grin.  
“But I guess even that wasn’t enough to teach you your place. Guys, what do you say? Should we finally give Jughead the beatdown he’s been begging for? Haha!”, Reggie yells as the other jocks join his laughter and threats: “Ready to get messed up, Jones?”, “I’m gonna kick your fucking teeth in”. At this point Jughead is seriously alarmed. He needs to get away, as soon as possible. He’ll run to the trailer, lock the door and for the first time in his life; pray that his father is there.

Reggie takes the final step towards Jughead and throws the first punch. It’s a right hook that Jughead barely ducks as he simultaneously turns 180 degrees and starts running for his life. He can feel adrenalin take hold of his body as he sprints trough the forest. His heart is beating like mad and the sound of it almost buries the shouts that are coming from behind him. He got a head start but it’s not much. They are gaining on him. He feels like prey. “You’re fucking dead, Jones!”, he recognizes Reggie’s voice all too close to him. He can’t keep up this pace forever. It’s dark in the forest, and it’s getting harder and harder to avoid the trees on his way. But he has to try, has to keep going…

His internal dialogue is paused as he’s tripped to the ground, Reggie landing on top of him with a loud thud. The air is knocked out of him. He tries to struggle from under Reggie, but he just turns Jughead so that they are facing each other, and lands a rough punch to Jughead’s nose. Jughead lets out a groan.  
“You just made this worse for yourself”, Reggie says menacingly, as he quickly hits Jughead in the face a couple times more. It’s so much so fast, that Jughead just feels disorientated and hazy. Reggie gets up and leaves Jughead to the ground. Jughead is starting to think that maybe he got a concussion from the fall, since he’s feeling a lot worse than he should from just a few hits. He struggles to get to his wobbly feet.

“Are you that scared of a little lesson? God, you’re pathetic”, Reggie laments dramatically, as he once again approaches Jughead. Jughead figures he has nothing to lose and takes a swing at Reggie. Reggie easily avoids the punch and instead throws a brutal punch of his own to Jughead’s stomach. Jughead lets out an abrupt sound as he topples over. Reggie steps back, allowing Jughead to fall forward and hit the ground. Reggie kicks the already coughing form on the ground a few times. Jughead has pretty much given up. Yeah, he could try to fight. But what for? There is like 10 dudes surrounding them right now and fighting back would only make it worse. If he just gave up like this, maybe Reggie would get tired of kicking him sooner and he could just go home. 

“Hey guys, it’s your turn!”, Reggie shouts, and lands a final kick straight to Jughead’s face. He’s not immediately sure what he had hit, but he could taste blood in him mouth. A few seconds later he could feel more kicks coming from various directions. He tried to escape in his mind, drift off somewhere. To any memory that was less painful than this moment. He occasionally heard a shout or a cry that apparently left his own lips. There was one particularly strong kick to his leg that left it aching.

After some time, it was over. Maybe Jughead had actually drifted off for a bit, since he was startled back to present by someone lifting him from the collar of his shirt.  
“I think we’re done here. How about you, Jug? Did you learn anything?”, Reggie mocks. Jughead tries to lift his head but decides against it when the nausea hits him.  
“F-fuck. Youu”, he manages to spit out. Literally spit out, since there is quite a bit of blood in his mouth, and now dripping down his neck.  
“Oh no, Juggie. Don’t be so bitter. I’ll leave you here and then you can crawl back to that hellhole of a trailer park. No hard feelings”, Reggie chimes, a sickening smile on his lips. He takes a better hold of Jughead and starts dragging him.  
“N-nnoh… N- Wha… Sstop. Where. W-wher-r yo…”, Jughead mumbles in a weak protest as his foggy mind registers that he’s being taken somewhere.  
“This ditch should do”, Reggie says right before hauling Jughead’s limb body into a shallow ditch. Jughead hits the ground and rolls to the bottom, letting out muffled groans.  
“And that’s where you belong, Juggie! Make sure you don’t go snitching to Archie, otherwise we might need to have a round 2”, Reggie warns, receiving loud support by his goons. They kick some dirt to the ditch and head back to their cars, their victorious voices echoing in the forest.


End file.
